Star Trek BWTECS: Renewal
by trekker26233
Summary: Have you ever wondered about what happens at a launch ceremony when a new starship is launched? In Generations you see the EnterpriseB launch, but that happened back in 2294. What about more recent launches? Well, here you go: the graphically detailed


SAN FRANCISCO FLEET YARDS 

EARTH ORBIT

THE _USS COLUMBIA_ WAS LOST, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. ON THIS VERY DAY, OVER 500 OF THE _COLUMBIA_'S FORMER CREW NOW STOOD AT THEIR STATIONS ABOARD THE BRAND-NEW STARSHIP. THE BRAND NEW GALAXY-CLASS VESSEL STOOD 160 METERS TALL, 641 METERS LONG, AND 450 METERS WIDE IN THE LARGE GAP BETWEEN THE HALLWAYS. IN ADDITION TO THE NEW COLUMBIA'S CREW, THE CORRIDORS LINING THE INSIDE OF THE DRY-DOCK WERE PACKED WITH HUNDREDS OF SPECTATORS, INCLUDING THE STARFLEET ACADEMY GRADUATING CLASS OF 2390 WITH ADMIRAL QUAY, FLEET ADMIRALS ROSS AND NECHAYEV, THE CREW OF THE DRY-DOCK, SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE FEDERATION COUNCIL, AND AN ARMY OF CIVILIAN REPORTERS. THEY WERE ALL HERE FOR THE LAUNCH OF STARFLEET'S NEWEST SHIP-OF-THE LINE: THE THIRD STARSHIP _COLUMBIA_!

AS THE SPECTATORS LOOKED ON, 5 SMALL SHUTTLECRAFT FLEW INTO VIEW. THEY CRUISED UNDER THE SAUCER AND AROUND THE STARSHIP IN PERFECT FORMATION. STARFLEET ACADEMY'S NOVA SQUADRON CRAFT HAD ALL BEEN REBUILT SINCE THE ACCIDENT IN 2367, AND THE TRADITIONAL FLY-BYS DURING GRADUATIONS, CHRISTENINGS, FEDERATION-WIDE CELEBRATIONS, AIR SHOWS AND SPACE SHOWS, AND OTHER IMPORTANT EVENTS HAD CONTINUED ONCE MORE. THIS WAS LIKE A JUNIOR-VERSION OF THE "BLUE ANGELS". THE NOVA-SQUADRON FORMED UP INTO DIAMOND-SLOT FORMATION AS THEY CAME AROUND FOR A FINAL PASS, AND PERFORMED A STARBURST MANEUVER; EACH CRAFT WENT ITS OWN WAY AROUND THE STARSHIP. THEN THEY MOVED BACK TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE DRY-DOCK AND ESCORTED THE "BLUE ANGELS" SPACE SQUADRON INTO THE DRY-DOCK FACILITY FOR THEIR OWN PERFORMANCE. THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE BLUE ANGELS AND THEIR U.S. NAVY ANCESTORS WAS IN THE POWER SUPPLY: THESE FIGHTERS USED SHUTTLECRAFT-GRADE FUSION DRIVES INSTEAD OF LIQUID FUEL. NONETHELESS, IN THE LIGHT OF THE FLOODLIGHTS OF SPACEDOCK, THEY WERE ELEGANT! AS THE ANGELS SWOOPED OVER THE SAUCER IN DELTA FORMATION FOR THEIR LAST MANEUVER, THE FIGHTER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIANGLE DEPLOYED A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAIGN. THE BOTTLE TUMBLED END-OVER-END AS IT SLOWLY DROPPED TOWARD THE STARSHIP IN THE 0-G ENVIRONMENT OF THE DRY-DOCK FACILITY. AFTER WHAT FELT LIKE AN ETERNITY, THE CHAMPAIGN BOTTLE SHATTERED ON THE HULL OF THE STARSHIP, RIGHT ON THE SPACE BETWEEN THE "NCC" AND THE "26233-A". CHAMPAIGN FIZZED STEADILY, LIKE TINY FIREWORKS. IT WAS ALMOST ROMANTIC IN ITS OWN WAY. THE NEW STARSHIP WAS READY FOR HER MAIDEN VOYAGE.

ABOARD _USS COLUMBIA_...

BRIDGE

CAPTAIN RAMON WAITED FOR THE "GO-AHEAD" FROM SDTC BEFORE HE GAVE HIS FIRST ORDER ABOARD THE NEW SHIP. "MR. SARK, LET'S SEE THE VIEW." SPACEDOCK WAS HUGE. FROM HERE, THE BRIDGE CREW COULD SEE AN AKIRA-CLASS STARSHIP OFF TO ONE SIDE, AND THE PROTOTYPE NX 84163 COULD BE SEEN IN THE "RED BOX" IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SPACE DOCK. THE COLUMBIA WOULD HAVE TO PASS THE CONSTRUCTION ZONE ON HER WAY TO THE SPACEDOORS. CAPTAIN RAMON WALKED FROM STATION TO STATION, INSPECTING THE READOUTS ON EACH COMPUTER TERMINAL.

"REPORT!" CAPTAIN RAMON ORDERED AS HE FINISHED HIS PROWLING AND SETTLED, SOMEWHAT UNCOMFORTABLY, IN HIS NEW CHAIR.

"ENGINES ARE ONLINE, WARP-CORE IS FUNCTIONING. LIFE SUPPORT AND HULL INTEGRITY ARE FUNCTIONING AT 100 ON ALL DECKS. SENSORS ARE ONLINE. REPLICATOR DIAGNOSTICS ARE COMPLETE: THEY'LL NEED SOME WORK AT STARBASE 3. ENGINEERING REPORTS ALL SYSTEMS READY AND FUNCTIONAL. ALL AIRLOCKS ARE CLOSED, AND DOCKING CLAMPS RELEASED. WE'RE READY, CAPTAIN," REPORTED THE NEWLY-PROMOTED COMMANDER COOPER FROM THE ENGINEER CONSOLE.

"PHASERS ARE CHARGED AND READY, AND ALL TORPEDO ROOMS ARE STANDING BY. SHIELDS ARE READY WITH NAVIGATIONAL DEFLECTORS ONLINE." LIEUTENANT HAROLD JACKSON REPORTED PROUDLY FROM HIS TACTICAL STATION. (SARK WAS MANNING THE SENSORS CONSOLE.)

"SENSORS ARE READY," REPORTED SARK. HIS BARITONE VOICE STUCK OUT FROM THE REST OF THE HAPPY CREW, BUT, IF CAPTAIN RAMON READ HIM CORRECTLY, HE NOTICED THAT SARK WAS EXCITED IN HIS OWN WAY.

"HELM IS RESPONDING. JUST GIVE THE ORDER, SIR." ENSIGNHALL SOUNDED AS THOUGH HE WERE ABOUT TO GO TO HIS GRADUATION FROM STARFLEET ACADEMY. IN FACT, HE ONLY ONE MORE MONTH TO COMPLETE HIS ACTIVE-DUTY REQUIREMENT BEFORE HE COULD GRADUATE!

"ALL SYSTEMS CHECK OUT, SIR," REPORTED ENSIGN GREENE FROM HIS PLACE AT THE OPS CONSOLE, CONFIRMING EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE ELSE HAD JUST SAID.

"TELL SPACEDOCK WE'RE READY TO ROLL." AS JACKSON CARRIED OUT THAT ORDER, ENSIGN HALL SAVORED THE VIEW OF THE INSIDE OF SPACEDOCK. IT WOULD BE A LONG TIME BEFORE HE WOULD BE HERE AGAIN, AND HE KNEW IT. HE QUICKLY DOWNLOADED THE IMAGE ON THE VIEWSCREEN TO THE PC IN HIS QUARTERS, AND LEFT A COMMAND TO DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE VIDEO- AND SENSOR-FEED OF THIS MAIDEN VOYAGE FOR VIEWING LATER. THE BIO-NEURAL CIRCUITRY ON THIS STARSHIP MADE THE SHIP'S COMPUTER MUCH FASTER BECAUSE THE CARBON COMPOUNDS STORED THE INFORMATION IN CAPACITORS AND FLUIDS AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL! "BIO-NEURAL" CIRCUITRY USES PACKS OF FLUID SIMILAR IN COMPOSITION TO BRAIN-FLUIDS, AND DNA-LIKE CARBON COMPOUNDS COULD EASILY STORE GREATER MEASUREMENTS OF DATA PER CUBIC UNIT OF CAPACITOR MATERIAL THAN OTHER CONVENTIONAL DEVICES OF THE SAME SIZE. FIBER-OPTIC CABLES ALLOWED PACKETS OF INFORMATION TO TRAVEL FASTER THAN EVER THROUGH THE SHIP-WIDE NETWORK.

SPACEDOCK GAVE THE "OKAY" AND CAPTAIN RAMON GAVE THE ORDER: "MR. HALL, ENGINES AHEAD: ONE-EIGHTH IMPULSE. STEADY AS SHE GOES."

IN SPACEDOCK, THE GUESTS HEARD THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND WATCHED AS THE GARGANTUAN STARSHIP EASED AWAY UNDER HER OWN POWER. ON UPPER OBSERVATION LEVELS, THEY WATCHED THE SAUCER MOVE BY, WHILE OBSERVERS ON LOWER LEVELS OF THE SPACE STATION WATCHED THE "GOOSE NECK" AND THE SECONDARY HULL SLIP AWAY AS COLUMBIA DEPARTED. THERE WAS CHEERING THAT ECHOED THROUGH THE OBSERVATION HALLS AND INTO THE CONNECTING CORRIDORS, DESPITE MOST OF THE ACOUSTIC-DAMPENING TECHNOLOGY IN PLACE. FAMILIES, CADETS, ADMIRALS, AND EVEN OTHER STARSHIP CREWS WATCHED WITH EXCITEMENT AS THE STARSHIP EASED AWAY, NEVER TO RETURN HOME, FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

THERE WAS AN ELECTRIC EXCITEMENT ON THE BRIDGE OF COLUMBIA AS SHE EASED TOWARD THE SPACEDOORS. SARK AND JACKSON WERE HANDLING ALL OF THE NUMEROUS "BON VOYAGE" MESSAGES THAT WERE CONSTANTLY COMING IN, SOME FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND SOME FROM OTHER SHIPS KEEPING WITH TRADITION. ONE OF THEM CAUGHT JACKSON'S EYE; IT SAID SOMETHING THAT SOUNDED LIKE A WARNING. "CAPTAIN! I THINK YOU SHOULD SEE THIS MESSAGE WE JUST RECEIVED!"

"READ IT TO US," CAPTAIN RAMON BLISSFULLY TOOK IN EVERYTHING AROUND HIM, AND BARELY HEARD HALF OF THE REPORT. IT'S A CAPTAIN SORT OF THING THAT HAPPENS WHEN HE GETS A NEW COMMAND.

OBEDIENTLY, JACKSON READ:

"THROUGH WIND AND WAVES AND STORMY SEAS

YOU WILL WATCHED BY THE ONE WHO SEES.

THOUGH MONSOON'S STRENGTH IS WEAK TO THEE, YOU HAVE LEARNED THE STRENGTH OF

THY ENEMY.

BEWARE OF THE CALM, BE WATCHFUL OF ALL. MAKE ONE MISTAKE, AND YOUR MAST SHALL

FALL.

ONCE BURNED, ONCE TORN, ONCE LOST TO ME

I'VE LEARNED THIS LESSON ONCE, TOO MANY

ONCE AND AGAIN, A SECOND CHANCE!

SCREW UP NOW, AND IT'LL BE YOUR LAST.

MARK MY WORDS

FOR I'LL NOT SAY IT AGAIN!

'TIS TIME TO DRAW THE LINE IN THE SAND.

FAREWELL, GOOD MAN!

FAREWELL OLD FRIEND!

FOR, HOPEFULLY, WE SHALL MEET AGAIN!

ANONYMOUS

"THAT'S IT, SIR," JACKSON FINISHED.

"INTERESTING," SAID THE CAPTAIN. THEN, AFTER A MOMENT, "PUT IT IN MY READY ROOM. I'LL LOOK AT IT LATER."

FOR NOW, THIS WAS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A WHOLE NEW STORY. NO SENSE SPOILING IT MORE THAN SOME LOSER JUST DID. EVEN THAT WARNING CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO BE THE SPOILER.

AS THE SPACEDOORS LOOMED ON THE VIEW SCREEN, THE CAPTAIN FELT A CHILL WENT UP HIS SPINE. THERE WAS SOMETHING EERIE ABOUT THAT MESSAGE. LIKE A HIDDEN MEANING. COLUMBIA ENTERED INTO SPACE, WITH SDTC GUIDING THEM TO THE DESIGNATED JUMP-POINT.

SEEING THE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS LINE-UP OF STARSHIPS OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE JUMP POINT WAS TERRIFIC, IF NOT FLATTERING. THE MEDIA SHUTTLES DARTING BACK AND FORTH, WERE LIKE SPECKS COMPARED TO THE MORE MASSIVE STARFLEET SHIPS. AS THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE MOVED INTO POSITION TO LEAD COLUMBIA DOWN THE AISLE, ENSIGN HALL CAREFULLY MANEUVERED INTO POSITION. TWO MINUTES LATER, THE ENTERPRISE SLOWLY LED COLUMBIA DOWN THE AISLE TO THE JUMP-OFF, WHERE COLUMBIA WOULD WARP OUT TO GO TO STARBASE 3 FOR THE REST OF HER SHAKEDOWN CRUISE.

THE TESTING AND WAR-GAMES HAD YET TO TAKE PLACE, BUT THAT WOULD BE ATTENDED TO AT STARBASE 3 IN THE OORT CLOUD OF THE SOL SYSTEM. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE NECESSARY REPAIRS MADE THERE, THE STARSHIP WOULD BE READY TO GO ON HER FIRST MISSION: INTO THE BETA QUADRANT.

ONE WEEK LATER...

THE USS COLUMBIA WAS UNDERWAY NOW, HER MISSION BEING TO CONTINUE STUDYING THE PLANETS IN THE SAME SOLAR SYSTEM, NOW DESIGNATED "B1-2M" BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST BETA-QUADRANT SOLAR SYSTEM TO BE DISCOVERED, AND BECAUSE THERE WERE TWO CLASS-M PLANETS THERE.

BETA QUADRANT

SAME TIME...

THE JOINT KLINGON/FEDERATION TASK FORCE HAD HUNTED THE CARDASSIAN FORCES IN THE REGION AND CLEARED OUT MOST OF THEM. THE USS SAGITTARIUS HAD ALREADY REPORTED TO FEDERATION SPACE, AND THE KLINGONS HAD SET UP TWO SMALL OUTPOSTS. THE SCARY THOUGHT WAS THAT THE TASK FORCE HAD NOT FOUND THE PLACE WHERE THE CARDASSIANS HAD COME FROM. EVERY TIME A CARDASSIAN SHIP WAS PURSUED, IT HAD FLED INTO A NEBULA, AND DISAPPEARED. WHEN THE NEBULA WAS INVESTIGATED, NOT ONLY WAS THERE NO CARDASSIAN PRESENCE TO BE FOUND, BUT IN THE CENTER OF THE NEBULA, THERE WAS AN ANOMALY SIMILAR TO THE METAPHASIC ENERGY IN THE BRIAR PATCH REGION. EVEN NOW, THERE WERE THREE KLINGON CRUISERS, A STARFLEET PATROL CUTTER, AND A SCIENCE SHIP SCOUTING A NEBULA UNSUCCESSFULLY. THE OUTER REGIONS OF IT CONTAINED PARTICLES AND ENERGY EMISSIONS THAT MADE LONG-RANGE SENSORS USELESS, AND SHORT-RANGE SENSORS LESS THAN HELPFUL. ONCE INSIDE THE NEBULA, THERE WERE PHENOMENAE THAT WOULD KNOCK-OUT RANDOM SYSTEMS, AND SHIELDS WERE CONSTANTLY DISRUPTED BY THE GASEOUS MATTER.

THE WORST PART: THIS REGION OF SPACE WAS COVERED WITH NEBULAE JUST LIKE THIS ONE.

UNCHARTED NEBULA

USS PHILADELPHIA NCC 65536

THE EXCELSIOR-CLASS CRUISER WAS ON STATION, IN A POOL OF THE REGENERATIVE METAPHASIC ENERGY THAT FELL AWAY INTO THE COSMOS, TOWARD THE ALPHA QUADRANT AT A SPEED OF 800,000 KM/H. THE USS CONFEDERATE WAS ON STATION, ORBITING THE NEBULA. SO FAR, NEITHER SHIP HAD FOUND ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT.

BUT THAT WOULD ALL CHANGE SOON ENOUGH.

6 WEEKS LATER...

SOLAR SYSTEM B1-M2

USS COLUMBIA NCC 26233-A

ORBITING B1-M2 IV (THE FEUDAL WORLD)

THE CREW WAS ALREADY GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH THEIR NEW HOME ON THE GALAXY-CLASS STARSHIP. IT WAS LARGER THAN THE NEBULA-CLASS "COLUMBIA", AND WAS EQUIPPED FOR THIS MISSION WITH STARFLEET'S STATE-OF-THE-ART SENSORS, QUANTUM TORPEDOES, SCIENCE AND MEDICAL LABORATORIES, AND EVEN A FASTER WARP DRIVE SYSTEM.

* * *

A/N: I made up the poem off the top of my head. I will later reveal which captain sent it to Ramon.   
Also: This is entirely in CAPS because I used a different type of Word-Processor when I originally wrote this. Sorry for any inconvenience. Please R&R! 


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